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@Infine tstes s-trut @ffice CHARLES F. MAWBEY, OF WOODBRIDGE, NEWJERSEY.

Letters Patent No. 72,657, dated December 24, 1867.

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Be it known that I, CHARLES F. MAWBEY, of Woodbridge, in the county 'ofMiddlesex, and State of New Jersey, have invented 'a new and improvedAutomatic Gate; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and 'exact description of the same, suiicient to enable thoseskilled in the art to which my invention :ippertains to make use of it,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecica-v tion, in which' Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section.Figure 2 is atop view, the platform on one side being removed. Figures 3and4 are detached views, showinghow the platforms operate the rods thatopen and shut the gates.

In this invention a platform is arranged on'each side of the gates, andconnected with them by a peculiar and exceedingly simple and effectivedevice. When a horse or other weight comes upon either platform, the

` .gates ily open from him.' As the horse passes through and steps uponthe other platform, the-latter operates to hold the gates open till thecarriage has' passed, when 'they swing together and latch by their ownweight.

In the drawings, I P represent the gateposts,'. and G G the gates,thelatterbeing hung by staples in the vertical posts, and their bottomstaples being a little out of line with their top ones, so that theweight of the gates will operate to close. them. Two short posts, p29,are driven into the ground between the posts P P, directly under thegates when closed, and a stout liron bar, B, extends between them in ahorizontal position, six or eight inches above the ground. '-To this barare hinged two horizontal platforms A A', one on each side of the gate.Springs S S support the platforms in a horizontal position when noweight is upon them, but

when the weight of a horse rests upon either platform, the springr underit yields and allows the outer end of the platformto be depressed to theground( A plank, F, is attached to the outer edge of the platforms byhinges, which allow its outer edge to rest on the ground, for thepurpose of affording an incline upon which the wheels of carriages mayeasily ascend to and descend from the-platforms. `The gates swing abovethe platforms, but the standards C C forming their outer edges,by whichthey are 'attached to the posts, extend nearly to the ground,` and attheir lower end are provided with horizontal arms c c, extending atright angles with thebar B. These arms will operate to the bestadvantage when made in the shape shown in g. 2, being a simple plate ofiron attached at the centre to the standard, and having its `ends bentback in the shape of a clock-pallet. But I do not confine myself to anyparticular shape'fin constructing them. A horizontal rod, D, is providedunder the platforms, on each side of each gate, pivoted upon a-verticalpin at its inner end, and having-@its outer end in contact with the armc. An arm, e, is iixed'to the `inner edge of the platform, underneathit, near the centre of each gate', and so adjusted tothe rod D and armc, that 'when the platform is depressed, thearm e shall swing the rodDag-einst the arm c, and cause it to press against that arm until -itswings the gate wide open. .Or if the gate is open when the platform isdepressed, the operation of these parts will be to press the rod Dagainst the arm c with such force as to `prevent the gate from movingand closingf The arm e-may be in the form of a lever' attached under theplatform, as shown in figs. 3 and 4, if preferred. At the centre of thebar B a vertical sliding latch,'I, is provided, sliding into notchesor`mortises n n, at the lower inner corners of the gates, andholding-them iirmlycloscd. The latch consists of asprin'g, t', bent inthe formshown in iig. 1, and operating iii connection with another, i),constructed and attached as shown in the same figure.

The end of the latter spring passes through a slotin the former,so thatone spring cannot be depressed with-- out depressing the other. Eachspring isbent up at' its centre, so as. to touch or nearly touchtheunder side of the platform under which it is situated. By this means,whenever either platform is depressed, it presses at once on the springtor z" under it, and pressing the spring down causes the latch I tlo movedown out of the mortise n, and out of the way of the horse or carriage,-and. to remain out Vof the way until the gates are closed. When theweight is removed from both platforms they rise, the springs z't"operate, and the latch I resumes its position, and holds the gatesclosed as-before.

As thus constructed, whenever a horse, carriage, or other vsuil'icientweight comas upon one of the platforms A, it depresses the platform,unlatches the-gates at I,'and by means'of the rods D throws b oth gatesopen in the direction from the approaching weight. When the weightpasses off of the platform A and. comes upon the platform A', the latteris depressed and holds the gates open until theweight has left bothplatforms, when the gates close and latch by their own weight, as abovedescribed.

Unless there were some additional apparatus provided, this arrangementwould be liable to the objection that any stray animals passing alongthe road, could open the gates and Ypass through by merely walkin g overthe platforms; To remedy this, I ,provide short hingedvspring-levers LL, at the carriage tracks on either side of the platforms, provided`With an arm, m. The outer edges of the platforms lare provided withsupporting-rods or props M M, which, when the platforms are up, restupon the ground, or a block or plate at the surface of the ground, underthe platform, and prevent the platform from being depressed. :ButV whena carriage-wheel is driven upon the lever L, it-eauses the arm m of thelever to strike against the prop M and move the bottom of it out of itsppsition till it drops into. a hole or recess, M, and ceases to supportthe platform. In this way a4 stray cow or other animal coming upon theplatform is unable tou open thegates, but'a carriage operates them atonce. From the arm m a rod, O, extends to and is connected with the barD of the opposite platform, as

shown in the drawings, by which means the depressing of one platformwilloperate the rodiO, arm e, and propy M of the other platform, -andrelease it, so that the carriage entering upon it from its inner edgewill operate it as well as whenpassing upon it over the lever L. Y

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 1. The eombinatontof the gates G, arms c,and pivoted rods D, when constructed as shown, and arranged so as to beoperated by the platforms A A', substantially in the manner and forthepurpose set forth.

2. I claim the platforms A A', when pivoted at their inner edgesunderthe gates G Gr, and operating the gates, substantially in tusmanner and for the purposes specified. j

3. I claim the hinged plank F, whenA attached to the outer edge of theplatforms, and operating substantially in the manner and for thepurposes'specied.

4. I e'laim the combination of the latch I, springs z'fi, platforms AA', and gates G G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 4

A 5. I claim Vthe vmovable prop M, or its equivalent, in` combinationwith the platform A A, when so constructed and arranged that when thrownout of position it will allow the platformA A to descend.

6. I claim the combination of the lever L, prop M, rod O, and bar D,whenoperating in the manner and for the purposes specified. CHAS. F.MAWBEY.

Witnessesz CHAs. A. Ps'rrxr,

SoLoN C. KEMoN.'

